STORIES | Introducing my favorite robots in fiction

What are cute machines?

Okay, I think between the illustration and title of this post you can figure out what cute machines are, but as I used the website TV Tropes as inspiration when searching for what type of characters I’d like to feature, I feel it’s only appropriate I use their description. According to TV Tropes, this is what can be expected when it comes to cute machines:

Sometimes, a robotic character, despite its composition of hard circuits and cold metal, completely melts your heart. Often just as lovable as their flesh and blood counterparts, these little guys/gals steal the show and the audience’s affection.

That’s right, cute machines are… cute machines.

Why do I love fictional robots?

For me, my love of cute machines stems entirely from their personalities. I love how untainted they usually are. They haven’t been through the horrid experiences that humans go through (or if they have had similar experiences, they don’t take it as personally as we do) so they tend to see the world in a much brighter light. They just seem so genuine. And as someone who has battled depression for many years and tends to have trust issues, I feel like a cute machine is what’s missing from my life.

I can’t deny that I also love how selfless fictional robots tend to be. They are almost always there to help humans in whatever way they can (mainly because they’re programmed to do so) and it’s always tugs at my heart-strings when I read stories or watch movies and see just how far cute machines will go to help those around them.

And, lastly, I think cute machines are funny. Because they don’t look or think like humans, they often choose to say things or go about things in an unusual and/or unexpected way. I love it.

Who are my favorite cute machines?

My top three fictional robots are WALL-E, Baymax, and Iko.

WALL-E is the titular title of WALL-E (duh) and he absolutely owns my heart. The first time I saw him I fell in love, and though I haven’t seen his movie in years I still feel a bit emotional while thinking about him. From his sweet little collection of human treasure to his selfless actions when it came to EVE (the umbrella moment comes instantly to mind), I honestly don’t believe it’s possible for a person to not fall in love with him.

The second cute machine that I absolutely love is Baymax, the big bubbly robot from Big Hero 6. Whereas I sometimes feel a bit sad thinking about WALL-E with those big upturned eyes, I am always filled with a sense of happiness and warmth when thinking about Baymax. I mean, how could I not? He’s a giant squishable robot who wants to take care of people! Between his huggability, special fist bumps, and struggles to get in a power suit, I feel like Baymax is the special robot I never knew I needed in my life. Please world, forget Sophia. Make me a Baymax.

The third robot I’m choosing to round out my top three (and honestly, it was a tough decision, this spot is a bit open in my book) is Iko from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Iko is an android (well, I guess if you narrow it down, she’s a personality chip) that helps Cinder and her friends throughout the events of The Lunar Chronicles and she is hilarious. Whether it’s her inability to contain herself around men or obsession with her looks, Iko is always making comments to lighten up the mood (whether intended or not) and it’s a lot of fun imagining her going around hitting on all the boys. I love it.

Honorable mentions: BB-8 and R2-D2 from Star Wars, Gortys and Claptrap from Tales from the Borderlands, and Bumblebee from the Transformers series.

Let’s Chat

Your turn! What do you think about cute machines? Do they have any impact on whether you’ll read/watch a story? And which ones are you favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

I have to admit, I forgot how much I loved BB-8 when writing this post. I originally had him in my top three but then replaced him with Iko. But after watching the new Star Wars movie, I definitely have to put BB-8 back in my top three. He’s so sneaky but fun! I feel like we could get up to a lot of trouble together

AND YOU HAVEN’T SEEN WALL-E?! You should fix that. If you were here I’d make you watch it because I own the DVD. Wall-e as a character is just so precious, he’s one of the few reasons I’m convinced I still have a heart. 😉

Aww, this is a great post. Cute machines are the coolest thing. I like Wall-E and Baymax as well. They are just so cute! 😀 I am not sure what would be my absolute favourites, but a cute robot in a movie is fantastic. 😀

Haha, that’s true. Robots can be quite scary if you remove the cute ones mentioned in my post. Since they’re not human, they can be quite deadly or just unnatural. I don’t know if you have Chuck E Cheese in your area, but I’ll never get over how weird those animatronics are.

I’m so happy to find Iko listed there! She was wonderful with her positivity and self-confidence!
In general, I adore androids, robots, cyborgs – whatever you might call them – in fiction. They’re such an interesting narrative parallel to humans, and no matter if they’re cute, sad, or even evil, they always have a special place in my heart.
(Also: BB-8 and Wall-E are the cutest! And if you love these, you’d adore Lovey from “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet”, too!)

I originally had BB8 in my top three but replaced him with Iko when I wrote this post. The newest Star Wars movie bumped him right back up to my top three though. Some of the things he did in that movie were absolutely ridiculous but I loved it!

And thanks! You’re definitely not alone on the bad memory thing. It’s always comforting when you’re able to find other bookish people who love books but struggle with a poor memory as well. We’re not alone!